Portable bin



May 15, 1956 1-1. A. HERZOG ET AL PORTABLE BIN 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 2, 1952 INVENTOR. H4120; 0 /-/RZ06 y 1956 H, A. HERZOG ET AL 2,745,590

PORTABLE BIN Filed Jan. 2, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1M 'EXIOR. HAQQL ,4 H522 0 6 hQ/w HTTOBNE YJ May 15, 1956 H. A. HERZOG ET AL PORTABLE BIN 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 2, 1952 f l Liw N I w E R Mm m6 0 N0 .WT T W; A L v D M M ff [NH n HUNT United States Seattle, Wash, assignors to Fisher Flooring Mills o., Seattle, Wash., a corporation of Washington Application January 2, n52, saint No. 264,609

8 Claims. 01. 229-23 This invention relates to improvements in portable bins that are designed especially for the bulk shipment of flour and like materials. More particularly, the invention has to do with bins, or containers of large size, made from cardboard or other suitable sheet material and combined with a supporting pallet or base to facilitate the moving and handling of the bin, and to protect it against damage during shipment and damage that might be incident to handling in its normal mode of use.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a cardboard bin or container of substantial proportions; that is relatively low in cost, and light in weight, and to so construct and combine it with a silpporting pallet and novel Wall bracing members that, when packed and sealed, it can be easily handled and safely subjected to all ordinary shipping and handling contingencies.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a pallet and bracing members that may be easily and readily assembled with the bin, as well as to provide for a ready dis'sembly thereof for return shipment inknoeked down condition for subsequent re-assembly and re-us'e.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a combination of parts, comprising a large bin of box-like form made of cardboard, a supporting pallet, and braces of wood for the side walls of the bin; these braces being so designed and assembled with the bin and pallet, and so secured as to constitute truss-like elements whereby the outward or bulging pressure of the packaged material against the side walls of the bin will be safely sust'ained.

Further objects and advantages of the invention are to be found in those details of csnsnnetion of the pallet and bin bracing elements, that permit filled and sealed bins to be stored or arranged for shipment in face to face contact. I

Still further objects of the invention reside in the novel details 'of construction of the bin, per se, as designed for use with the present form of pallet and Wall bracing elements.

In accomplishing the above mentioned and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. l is a perspective view of the present bin or container as designed for the shipment therein of flour or the like, and showing the bin as closed, sealed and braced preparatory to shipment.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pallet, the bin and opposite side wall braces and particularly illustrating the crowned formation of the latter; the section being taken in the central vertical plane of the bin.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the closed and braced bin, taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the upper end crossbracing members shown in a separated relationship.

5 is a perspective view of the palletand some of the braces associated with the bin; parts being broken away for better understanding of details.

Patented May 15, 1956 Fig. 6 is a plan or top view of the pallet.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of a side wall and the end closures, with tape-sealed joints.

Fig. 8 is a plan of a cardboard blank as cut and scored for forming an end closure for the bin.

it has become a present day practice of manufacturers" of flour, to supply bakeries and other users of large amounts, with flour in bulk shipments in lieu of its deliv' cry in sacks. Portable bins, made of metal, andholding 2000 to 3000 pounds of fiour are now in use. However,- since such containers have heretofore been made of metal, cost and weight have become items of considerable import and in view of this, it has been the primary object of the present invention to provide bins of reduced cost; to} decrease their weight; to provide for more economical return shipment of emptied bins; to provide for an easier handling of the filled bin both in shipment and in normal iise, and to provide for the long and continued re-use of the pallet and bracing members.

Thebody portion, or tube, of the present bin is preferably made from cardboard stock, smooth faced on both sides, and used in a single thickness. Also, the end elm sures therefore are made from the same kind or a similar material. For a bin now in use, and adapted to hold approximately 2500 pajamas or packed flour, the body is made from a sheet of cardboard that, inthe flat, is approximately six feet wide and twelve feet long. This fiat sheet is transversely scored for easy bending along definite lines to define the parts that are to famine four side wall panels of like dimension. After the sheet has been thus scored, it is bent at the lines of scoring to provide a body forming tube of rectangular form, and this tube is secured bystapling together the lapped end portion of the sheet. The formed tube then provides a box-like enclosure with four side walls of equal dimerr sions. This tubular part of the bin will be referred to as the body.

Referiing more in detail to the drawings In Fig. 1, the body, or tubtilar portion of a container as above described, is designated in its entirety by numeral 10', and in Fig. 3, the four side walls thereof are designated, respectively, by numerals 10a, 10b, Illa-and 10d; The seam formed by the joined overlapped end portions of the scored sheet is designated by numeral 11, and the joint or seam is shown to be located medially of the adjacent vertical corner edges, as best understood by reference to Fig. 3. v

At its lower end the tubular body 1 0 is fitted with a bottom or closure 12. This is of single thickness cardbo'ard stock, scored and bent to form a rectangular panel of substantially the dimensions of the end of the tube; with upturned edge flanges 12x lapped and joined at their ends by staples or otherwise, thus to provide an outside slip fit closure member for the tube as seen in Figs. 2 and 6.

At its upper end, the tubular body is likewise closed by a cover 18. This is made from a single rectangular sheet of cardboard, that is scored and bent to form it with a downturned, peripheral flange 18x that is applied about the upper end portion of the body in an outside slip fit joint. The details ofconstiuction and mode of application of lower and upper end closures are substantially the same;

It is customary after the filled container has been closed by application thereto of the cover 18, to seal the joint between the cover flaps and sidewalls by the application of an adhesive paper strip 19 thereover, as illustrated in Fig. 7. A similar joint sealing strip, as at 19a,- is likewise applied over the joint between flaps 12x of the lower end closure and the side walls of the bin to prevent seep age of flour and to secure the flaps of this closure in place.

In view of the inward crowning of the side walls of the bin, incident to the application of the side wall braces, as will presently be explained, it is desirable that the cardboard blanks be cut and scored as seen in Fig. 8 wherein it is noted that the score lines x that set off the flaps 12x along. the four edges of the blank are inwardly curved substantially to the thickness of the end portions of the braces. When the flaps are turned down and their overlapped ends secured together, the central panel of the blank will conform in shape to the end of the braced container.

To support the bin for easier handling, and to give protection thereto, a base or pallet, designated in its entirety by numeral 20, is assembled therewith. The pallet is here shown to be constructed of wood, and is square in plan. The dimensions of its top surface are exactly equal to those of the lower and upper ends of the bin, and when the bin is disposed on the pallet, its vertical corner edges register in alignment with corners of the pallet as has been shown in Fig. 3. The pieces of planking 20a which form the pallet top are preferably arranged as shown in Figs. and 6. They are parallel and are supported by, and permanently secured upon three parallel, transversely directed supporting rails 20b. The outside longitudinal edges of the two outside supporting rails are set flush with the corresponding edges of the pallet top. The intermediate cross-rail 20b is slightly off center for a purpose presently explained, and the ends of the cross rails, terminate flush with the opposite side edges of the pallet top.

By reference to Fig. 6, it will be observed that at its four sides, and medially of its corners, the pallet top is inwardly recessed; the recesses each being designated by numeral 24. The bases of the recesses are parallel to the outer lines of the corresponding side edges of the pallet top and the width and horizontal depth of these recesses is of significance, as will presently be understood.

The bin bracing means comprises four vertical bars 30 that are applied vertically at the outside of the four side walls of the bin medially of its vertical corner edges, and two crossed members 31-31 that overlie the top 12 each to abut at its opposite ends with the upper ends of oppositely disposed side bars 30.

All vertical bars 30 have the same dimensions and are of the special form of those shown in Fig. 5. Each bar is made from a wooden plank of substantial width and slightly greater in length than the height of the bin. Each plank has a straight, fiat outer surface but its inside surface is inwardly crowned in anendwise direction. The crowning is eifected by tapering the inner face of the bar toward its opposite ends from a transverse line that is located about one-third the distance from lower to top end of the piece. In the present container, these side wall braces are 5 /2 inches wide, about sixty-two inches long and have a thickness of one and one-half inch at a distance twenty-four inches from their lower ends, and are tapered from that line toward both ends to a final thickness of three-fourths of an inch. The width and thickness .of the brace bars 30, at their lower ends, corresponds to the width and horizontal depth of the recesses 24 formed in the side edge of the pallet top in order that these ends may be received in the recesses and the outer faces of the bars brought flush with the vertical planes of the corners of the pallet.

In functionally applying these side wall braces, they are disposed with their lower ends seated in the recesses 24, and resting against the top edges of the cross rails 20b, as seen in Fig. 2. After being thus disposed, their upper ends are drawn inwardly to the same spacing as their lower ends and held. After filling the container and closing its top end by application thereto of the closure 18, the cross bracing members 3131 are applied against the top as shown in Fig. 1. It will be noted by reference to Figs. 1, 3 and 5, that the seating of the bars 30 in the recesses 24 provide an interengagement between the bars and the pallet which prevents relative transverse movement therebetween. 'Thus the brace bars are retained in a positive position relative to the pallet and sidewalls of the bin.

The bracing members 31-31 are of like dimensions and are recessed intermediate their ends as at 32, to interfit one within the other for rigidity and to place them both in the same plane, to lie flatly against the top 18 when applied thereto. Metal straps 35 are applied about the container and centrally and longitudinally along the outer faces of the side wall braces 30, passing beneath the top forming members of the pallet as seen in Fig. 2 and having their opposite end portions drawn toward each other across the top surfaces of the crossed braces 31-31, as in Fig. 1; these ends being equipped with rings 36 as shown in Fig. 1. Tie straps, 37, are applied through the rings at the opposite ends of the straps 35 and drawn taut and secured by clips 40.

Explanatory to the present invention, it will be here stated that preparatory to its being filled, the bin, properly disposed upon the pallet and with the wall bracing beams 30 in place relative thereto, is placed in a jacket or form. This jacket is of rigid, substantial construction, of a boxlike form and of such dimensions that it holds each of the side wall braces in a position at which its outer surface coincides with the plane of the adjacent vertical corner edges of the bin. This results in the brace bars 30 causing the inward crowning of the side walls of the container both horizontally and vertically as will be understood by reference to their showing in Figs. 2 and 3. The container is packed or filled while so held in the jacket, then the upper end closure is applied, thereto, the cross braces placed in position thereover, and the binding straps 35 are passed about the bin and drawn taut and secured together over these crossed pieces, by the application of the tie straps and securing clips thereto as shown in Fig. l; the tie straps being extended beneath the pallet top as has been shown in Fig. 2.

After the bin has thus been filled and closed, and the wall bracing members secured, the jacket is opened and the unit, comprising the pallet, bin and bracing, is removed therefrom, the seams taped and the bin is then ready for shipment.

The inward crowning of the side walls of the bin by reason of the particular shape of brace bars 30, and their mode of application and securement to pallet and cross bracing 31, results in an increased and unusual strength being given to the bin walls. Furthermore, adequate strength is provided in the brace members 30 themselves, at the critical points, to enable them to sustain the bin bulging pressure of the load without having to be of undue weight.

It is of significance, that the outside surfaces of the brace bars lie in the planes of the vertical corners of the bin as this permits bins to be assembled in face to face contact for shipment, each giving support to the other, and conserving space.

To disconnect bracing and pallet from a bin, it is only required that the joined ends of the binding straps 35 be released; this being accomplished by releasing the tie straps 37. Pallet and bracing members may be repeatedly used. The bin itself may be put to reuse, to limited extent.

After shipment of such bins to a point of use, the disassembled pallets and braces of a plurality of structures can be assembled as a package and returned to point of shipment. It has been found possible and practical to assemble a plurality of pallets on edge upon a base pallet, and to insert the vertical brace members in the spaces provided between the bottom rails of the same, and to bind the parts together in the same manner as an original bin is secured for shipment. Likewise, a plurality of the cardboard body forming tubes can be collapsed and inserted inside an uncollapsed carton or bin and returned in the same manner as-the original bin. It is anticipated that bins, as comprised by the body tube and end closures 12. and 18, be made of cardboard or any equivalent sheet material. Therefore, in the claims, the term cardboard Will be considered to be cardboard or any other flexible sheet material that can be economically and practically used in a like manner, to accomplish like results.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A portable bin structure comprising connected together paperboard panels inwardly bowed only intermediate their corners forming a rectangular body with spaced vertically disposed corners, closure means for the bin, individual substantially rigid panel bowing and reinforcing means, the bowing means being less in dimension than the dimension of the panels and having their respective inner surfaces conforming to the inward bowed portion of the respective panels and their outer surfaces being in substantially a vertical plane, and band means under tension surrounding the body in engagement with the said outer surfaces and removably securing the bowing and reinforcing means against the respective panels to maintain the inwardly bowed condition of said panels.

2. A portable bin as defined in claim 1 wherein the panel bowing and reinforcing means comprises elongated, vertically disposed bars.

3. A portable bin as defined in claim 2 including spacer means, the spacer means being in engagement with the closures and the vertical bars having end portions thereof in engagement with the spacer means.

4. A paperboard bin structure as recited in claim 3, wherein one of the spacer means comprises a platform having notches to seat one end of the bars and the band means engaging the platform, bars and top spacing means so as to retain the paperboard bin structure and the vertically disposed bars wholly within the peripheral edges of the platform.

5. In a paperboard bin structure as recited in claim 3, wherein the spacer means is of less extent than the normal distance between the opposed panels.

6. A portable bin structure comprising connected together paperboard panels inwardly bowed intermediate their corners forming a rectangular body with spaced vertically disposed corners, closure means for the bin, individual substantially rigid panel bowing and reinforcing means, said bowing means being vertically disposed intermediate of and substantially parallel to the vertical corners, the bowing means being less in dimension than the dimension of the panels and having their respective inner surfaces conforming to the inward bowed portion of the respective panels and their outer surfaces in a substantially vertical plane, and band means under tension traversing the bowing means and securing the bowing and reinforcing means against the respective panels to maintain the inwardly bowed condition of said panels.

7. A portable bin structure comprising connected together paperboard panels inwardly bowed intermediate their corners forming a rectangular body with spaced vertically disposed corners, flanged bottom and top closure means for the bin, individual, substantially rigid panel bowing and reinforcing bars, the bars being less in dimension than the dimension of the panels and having their respective inner surfaces conforming to the inward bowed portion of the respective panels with end portions of the bars overlapping the closure flanges, and means securing the bars and closures in position.

8. In a portable bin structure for bulk shipment of materials, a pallet having a top platform substantially rectangular in plan, a self-sustaining rectangular paperboard bin, said bin comprising top and bottom end closures and connected together panels with spaced, vertical corners, said bin substantially corresponding in crosssection to and seating at its lower end on said platform, the platform having notches at its side edges intermediate the corners thereof, elongated bars disposed vertically intermediate the vertical corners, the lower ends of the bars seated in said notches and the upper ends of the bars extending above the top end closure of the bin, spacer means on the top end closure of the bin between the upper ends of the bars of less extent than the normal distance between the panels, the bars having crowned portions in the longitudinal direction thereof intermediate their ends, retaining bands secured under tension about the platform, bars and spacer means and engaging the outer faces of the bars longitudinally thereof for maiutaining the bars in engagement with the panels and the ends of bars in fixed contact with the notches and the ends of the spacer means, thereby causing the panels to be maintained inwardly to a desired extent predetermined by the notches and spacer means, the bars lying Wholly within the horizontal planes between the corners and the end closures being shaped to conform to the inwardly bowed formation of the panels at the opposite ends of the bin.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 524,479 Carkeek Aug. 14, 1894 1,333,673 Parker Mar. 16, 1920 1,506,355 Aston Aug. 26, 1924 1,638,563 Carruth Aug. 9, 1927 1,784,909 Romine Dec. 16, 1930 1,869,127 Allen et a1. July 26, 1932 2,065,650 Burke Dec. 29, 1936 2,340,387 Hummel Feb. 1, 1944 2,499,959 Kruse et al Mar. 7, 1950 2,594,287 Budd Apr. 29, 1952 2,596,320 Witte May 13, 1952 2,614,689 Miller Oct. 21, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 766,575 France Apr. 16, 1934 

